Celebrating Deepavali with a difference this time

Let us forget, for a while, about the reason behind celebrating the festival Deepavali or Diwali this time. We all know that Deepavali is a festival of lights. As light can illuminate our surrounding enhancing our understanding about the surrounding it can also illuminate our minds by enhancing our wisdom. In spiritual context light is also considered as wisdom since it can help in dispelling the darkness and show the path of wisdom. Wisdom is God. Such being the case why should we focus large part of our energy to fire crackers as we used to do in the past? If light can take us away from darkness crackers can drive us towards darkness. When we do something we should pay our fullest attention to what we do and be aware of the outcome of what we are doing. The outcome of firing crackers needs to be well understood by all of us.

1. It pollutes the atmosphere by dust particles and smoke, which may eventually settle down around our own places if it is not driven away by wind

2. It can create blindness to children if the watch the brightness continuously

3. It can inflict injuries to children and others if enough care is not taken

4.

The enormous sound created can spoil our hearing ability

5. The enormous sound can create mental disorder to domestic animals because of sudden loss of hearing in them

6. It leaves lot of garbage all around thereby negating the Swatchch Bharath campaign that we initiated recently

All these are happening by spending huge amount of money, which means that it is as good as burning the money itself.

Instead, let us illuminate more candles around our houses, invite friends, relatives and neighbours and celebrate the festival by distributing sweets and gifts, dancing and enjoying. Let the wisdom prevail all over this time. Let us tell all our children not to buy crackers but buy candles, gifts and sweets. Most of our children listen to the good advice and follow it sincerely. Let us exhibit wisdom in showing our children the right path. Some children without the knowledge are much better than some grown ups with knowledge. If the children are made aware of the ill-effects of firing crackers then they will understand better and faster and also spread the message all around as their mind is blemishless.

As elders let us all exhibit wisdom and let our children grow up as wise citizens. We may not be able to stop using crackers all of a sudden this time. But whatever small step we take now for a noble cause can one day eliminate the evils forever.